Wed, 29 Mar 2017 08:52:43 +0000
By Nation Reporter
ALL senior UPND members of parliament have reportedly tendered excuses before the Speaker for absenting themselves during a state of the
nation address by President Edgar Lungu in the House last Friday.
This has left MPs from Western and North Western Province in a limbo as they now do not know what to do, but wait for punishment from the Speaker
The opposition MPs who have been roundly condemned for their behaviour, made a dramatic about-turn and filed excuses suggesting that they did not deliberately stay away from the presidential address.
“It is true that senior UPND members of parliament have come up with all kinds of excuses which they have submitted to the Speaker because they are scared of the stern retribution they may receive from Dr Matibini for their action,” the sources said
Some of the MPs fearing to be ruthlessly punished by the Speaker for boycotting President Lungu’s address, obtained sick notes from Parliament Clinic.
According to the copies of sick notes obtained by the Daily Nation, those who went to the clinic were given two-days off from Parliamentary duties which included the day President Lungu addressed the House during which all but one UPND MPs walked out.
And Patriotic Front (PF) media team member Sunday Chanda squarely put the blame for the MPs action on its leader Hakainde Hichilema whom he said wanted to use his members to pursue his presidential ambitions.
Mr Chanda said the buck stopped at Mr Hichilema who has continued to mislead his followers that he would soon form government.
He said the scheme to use sick notes as an excuse for absconding Parliament during President Lungu state of the nation address was a scandalous strategy to justify their irresponsible action.
Meanwhile fear has now gripped the UPND Members of Parliament who boycotted the recent State of the Nation address by President Edgar Lungu because they have
realized that the impending punishment for their act will be harsh, MMD national secretary Raphael Nakacinda has observed.
A scam has been exposed in which the UPND MPs who boycotted the national address are now flooding Parliament clinic to obtain sick notes to justify their absence from the House.
And Mr Nakacinda said that the parliamentarians had realized that they were walking on thin ice.
He observed that the UPND MPs were now restless and that fear had gripped them upon the realization that their punishment by Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini this time will be severe.
Mr Nakacinda said that the lawmakers should now be filled with regret for following orders from their leader who is busy fighting a losing battle.
“The UPND MPs are now regretting following orders of their desperate leader fighting a losing battle. This is when they have realized that their punishment this time around will be severe and they are now scrambling to get fake sick notes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Nakacinda said that the UPND MPs should not pretend to have been sick on the day of the national address because their intentions were known. He reiterated that the reason for their boycott was well known by the Zambian people and that there was no way all those MPs could be sick on the same day.
Mr Nakacinda wondered how parliamentarians who were chosen to represent the interest of the people would stoop so low and listen to their desperate leader. He said that parliamentarians were supposed to be above board and honorable in their conduct at all times.
Mr Nakacinda explained that honorable conduct required one to be committed to the rule of law, to follow rules and moral uprightness.
He said that there was no need for the UPND MPs to start getting fake sick notes when they knew the repercussions of their action.
